These Salted Caramel Brownies are fudgy, gooey, and extremely rich. Stuffed AND topped with a silky homemade salted caramel sauce, you can't go wrong with these!
Brownies are a dessert you can never go wrong with. No matter what occasion, what time of year, or where you are going, a pan of brownies can really seal the deal and make someone's day. These Salted Caramel Brownies have become a favorite in my house, and it's easy to know why once you've tried them.
These brownies are rich, fudgy, melt-in-you-mouth delicious- aka the only way to make brownies. They have a gooey, silky caramel center with extra caramel drizzled on top because too much caramel ain't a thing around here.
Ingredients you'll need
- sugar - granulated sugar for both the caramel sauce and brownies
- butter - I use unsalted for both, that way you can add as much salt as you want to the recipe!
- heavy cream- this is used for the caramel sauce, don't skip it!
- salt- DUH!!! Also, this is my FAVORITE flaky sea salt for topping the brownies.
- chocolate- I love semi-sweet chocolate for my brownies but feel free to use whatever you love.
- eggs- 2 eggs + a yolk for extra gooey brownies
- vanilla extract- always!
- flour- the less flour in a brownie recipe, the better! this is what makes them gooey, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth good
- cocoa powder- Use unsweetened cocoa powder, you can usually find this at any grocery store!
How to make the brownies
These brownies are easy to make, don't let the homemade caramel scare you! I promise it's easier than you think- you just need to have some patience!
step one: make the caramel sauce
Stir the sugar in a put over medium-high heat. It'll take a few minutes, but it will start to get clumpy like the photo below. You want to mix the sugar continuously so that the sugar doesn't burn. Let it do it's magic, and it'll turn a beautiful brown color.
Once the sugar is melted, remove it from the heat and immediately add in the butter. Don't be alarmed when the mixture starts to bubble like crazy, this is supposed to happen! Mix it thoroughly, and if you feel like the butter and sugar are separating from each other, continue to mix it for a few minutes. It will eventually come together!
Return the mixture to the heat and slowly drizzle in the heavy cream, be careful because the mixture will bubble again! Let it boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and mix in salt! Let it cool while you whip up the brownies.
Step two: make the brownies
My brownie recipe is pretty straight-forward, it's actually my Better-than-Boxed Brownie recipe which is so so delicious.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth. Add this into a big bowl with the granulated sugar and mix, then add in your eggs and vanilla. Stir in your dry ingredients until everything is just combined. Easy!
Step three: bake and enjoy!
In a lined 9x9 pan, layer a little more than half the brownie batter on the bottom, add your caramel sauce, and finish with the rest of the brownie batter. Bake, cool, cut, and drizzle with MORE caramel for extra goodness. You can always add more flaky sea salt because why not?
Making these ahead
You can absolutely make these brownies ahead of time, I would suggest about a day before if you don't want to freeze them. Make the brownies as suggested but wait to drizzle the caramel sauce on top until right before serving.
Tips on freezing your brownies
Let the brownies come to room temperature.
If you used parchment paper, carefully pull the brownies out of the pan- they should come out clean. You could also turn your pan upside down so the brownies come out in one piece. Wrap the whole thing in tin foil and then plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Don’t cut them before freezing!
Make sure to defrost the brownies on the counter before cutting them and drizzling your caramel on top!
Storing and freezing caramel sauce
After the caramel cools down completely, pour it into a glass jar or container and you can refrigerate it for up to 1 month. The caramel solidifies as it cools, but you can reheat in the microwave or on the stove so it’s liquid again (for drizzling on your brownies later).
You can also freeze the salted caramel. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm up as I said above.
Other Recipes to Try:
Salted Caramel Brownies
Ingredients
Salted Caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
- ½ cup heavy cream room temperature
- 1¼ tsp sea salt
Brownies
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
Make the salted caramel:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar on medium-high for about 5-6 minutes. Use a heat-proof rubber spatula to stir the sugar to make sure it doens't burn on the bottom. The sugar will get lumpy at first, then turn a golden brown color.
- After the sugar has completely melted, there are no more clumps, and it's a nice dark amber color, remove from the heat and add in the butter. Be careful because it should rapidly bubble at first. Use your spatula to stir the mixture for 1-2 minutes, until the sugar and butter come together. If they seem like they are separating just continue to mix, it will eventually come together!
- Put the mixture back on the heat and slowly add in the heavy cream while stirring, this should bubble as well. Let it boil/bubble for about 1 minute and then remove from heat, adding in the salt and mixing to combine everything together. Let it cool.
Make the brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and 4oz of chocolate on high for 30 seconds. Mix and then heat in 10 to 15-second intervals (mixing in between) until the mixture is smooth and melted together. Once melted, add to a large bowl with the sugar and mix until combined. Add in the eggs + yolk, as well as the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients- flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until everything is combined and there are no streaks of flour left.
- Pour a little over half the brownie batter into the pan, and then take ¾ cup of the caramel sauce and spread over top. You can use a knife to swirl it into the brownies, just be careful not to go all the way to the edge. Top with the rest of the brownie batter.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow the brownies to cool completely (about 1 hour), drizzle the remaining caramel sauce on top, and cut into 12 squares! Finish with some flaky sea salt and enjoy!
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